A pastor in town is heading a grass roots organization aiming to polish up the city and help give it a better image. He invited a few other churches in Merced to get involved a couple weekends ago by gathering some volunteers to spend a morning doing some cleanup at designated spots. Patrick and I joined about 20 others from our church to head up the effort at a downtown transit center.
We spent a few hours picking up trash, trimming the vegetation, weeding, and sweeping.
Proof of the difference we made, measured in trash bags. Our Pastor is the 2nd person from the right, standing next to Patrick (just an fyi).
What's neat is there was a gift shop in the transit center that sold something we've been on the lookout for! They only took cash (which we didn't have on hand unfortunately) but the station is only about a 5 minute walk from where I work so I was able to return via a quick stroll during my lunch break later in the week.
Sunday, October 30:
We know we're married now, but we dated a long time before the ceremony so it seems odd to wait to celebrate 2 years together when we've been together 9! Until we've been married a couple decades, this date will always be as momentous an anniversary to us.
We celebrated by walking to an Italian restaurant near our house for dinner that is a little pricey but serves delicious food. Our first week in Merced we ate there, but hadn't been back since so it was a nice treat. Before the indulgence though, we visited The Vista ranch for some fall fun.
No offense to our Missouri pals, but there's a reason MO is the Show Me State and not the Show Off State when it comes to apple cider. :-/ In Michigan we are raised on some pretty fine unpasteurized stuff (I think that's the difference), so I was skeptical yet hopeful of what CA had to offer after being in withdrawal the last couple years. It was a LOT more expensive, but the taste did not disappoint!
No need for a 3rd person or a tripod- a nearby leaf on a corn stalk provided a nice place to hang our camera. :) Patrick and I were surrounded by walls of the corn maze on the premise. We took it very seriously since I didn't want to cheat to get out (I had to find the official exit!) but it was also a pleasant laid back affair.
After emerging from the labyrinth, we hopped on the tractor-pulled trailer for a hay ride around the grounds. It was a short ride, but long enough to learned a sports bra is a necessary piece of equipment for a farm's potholes. :) Still, we enjoyed it- I haven't been on a hay ride in ages!
It was intriguing to observe the many shapes, colors, and textures of pumpkin varieties. We've got a creative God!
There was an enormous flower garden we didn't have time to walk through, but we were on higher ground so we could still admire it from a distance. Plus they had smaller patches surrounding the cornfield that we could ogle while waiting for the hay ride. I was pleased to find a basket marked $1 for a bunch, on our way out of the ranch. My 2 sunflowers faded after a few days, but the other 3 flowers I bought are still looking decent after 2.5 weeks! Probably one of the best dollars I've spent, I'd say, and anniversaries too. :)
4 comments:
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you did not mention what you were on the lookout for that was at the giftshop. glad you had a nice day/anniversary. the posted "..." comment was from just trying to sign in. sometimes i remember that i should sign in and read my comment at least twice before entering it. then i didn't want to remove it cuz that looks suspiciously bad. anyhow,,, love ya's... dad a.
or, maybe, that "..." comment does mean something bad. suspicious that i'd comment on it twice. by the way, i am not reading this comment twice. sooo, if it's du-oofy (dumb and goofy),,, hey, oh well.
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